Machine for drying tobacco filler.



No. 716,646.l Y Patented nec. 23,- :902. H; REBER.

n I MACHINE FDR DBYING TOBAGO() FlLLEl-ly (Applicatiun med sept. s,1902.)

2 sheets-sheet L (lo Model.)

www tz :c1311 l 'Z M S11-rom Patented Dec. 23, (902. H. BEBER.

MACHINE FOR DRYING TDBACC FILLER;I

QAppliction led. Sepia. 6, 1.902.)

2 Sheets-.Sheet 2.

(no modell) Y Mw Q11- to@ `333131 @Houqd dUNITED STATES PATENT FFC.

HENRY REBER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MACHINE FORDRYING TOBACCO FILLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 716,646, dated December23, 1902.

Application iiled September 6, 1902. Serial No. 122,349. (No model:

Improvements in Machines for Drying Tobacco Filler, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved machine for drying tobacco-leaveswhich have been moistened, so Vas to more easily cut and handle them,which leaves are then used as a filler in cigars, cigarettes, and thelike. This tobacco filler is obtained by cutting moistened i leavesafter the ribs have been removed. The cut leaves are in a moistcondition and require careful drying and cooling in such a manner thatthe essential oils are retained in the same.

My invention is designed for drying tobacco filler; and forthis purposethe invention consists, primarily,of a cylinder provided with rotatingagitators, meansfor lsupplying the filler into one end of the cylinder,a central cylindrical heater in the drying-cylinder, means for supplyingsteam to the same, and means for supplying heated air to the iller inthe cylinder.

The invention consists of a rotatable drying-cylinder, agitatorsvprovided on the interior surface of said cylinder, a steamheating-cylinder in said drying-cylinder rotatable therewith, means forsupplying steam to said heating cylinder, and air heating device, meansconnected with same to supply heated air to said drying-cylinder, arotatably-mounted cooling-cylinder, a conducting-trunk connecting saiddrying and cooling cylinders, inwardly-extending paddles on the interiorsurface of said cooling-cylinder arranged longitudinally of the same,and a screen provided at the delivery end of said cooling-cylinderbeyond the ends of the paddles, as will be more fully describedhereinafter and finally pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents a side elevation of myimproved machine for drying tobacco filler. Fig. 2 is a plan view of thedrying apparatus proper. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section of thedrying-cylinder on line 3 3, Fig. l; and Fig. et is a verticaltransverse section of the cooling-cylinder.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspending parts.

My improved apparatus for drying tobacco filler is composed of two mainparts-first,

`the drying-cylinder, with its accessories, and,

secondly, the cooling-cylinder, with its accessories, the latter beingpreferably arranged in the, door below the drying-cylinder and connectedwith the `same by a vertical conducting-trunk that'passes through thedoor 'from the drying-cylinder to the cooling-cylinder, as shown in Fig.l.

The filler-drying apparatus consists of a cylinder A, which is closed atthe outgoing end, but provided with a sliding door o, and open at theingoing end a. for supplying the filler to the drying-cylinder A. Thiscylinder is supported in suitable manner and inclosed by a jacket madeof a suitable nonconductor of heat. At the interior of thedrying-cylinder A is arranged a rotary steamcylinder BV of smallerdiameter than the drying-cylinder, said steam-cylinder being supportedin suitable bearings and operated by a sprocket Wheel and chaintransmission from the driving-shaft S. The drying-cylinder A ispreferable supported at a slight angle of inclination to the horizontalplane, so that'the iiller that is fed in at the ingoing end passesslowly through the same, it being agitated in its passage' to theinterior ofthe cylinder by means of agitators b, that are supported onradial arms extending from a hub attached to the steam cylinder B, asshown clearlyin Figs. l and 3. Asteam-supply pipe d, provided with astop-cock d', is connected with the ingoing end of the steamcylinder,while the outgoing end of the same is connected by a pipe d2, providedwith a stop-cock d3, with a coil C, that is located in a suitable casingG, arranged sidewise of the drying-cylinder A, the lower end of the coilbeing provided with a pipe Z for permitting the drawing o of the waterof condensation. Air of ordinary temperature is supplied through avalved pipe m at thelower part of the casing C', surrounding the coil C,said air ICO passing through the open coil, which is heated up by thesteam conducted to the casing from the steam heating-cylinder B, saidhot air being drawn into the casing C by a suitable suction-fan, blower,or pump V, the casing of which is connected by a pipe D with the toppart of the casing C and the center of the blower-casing, while theoutgoing end of the blower is connected by a pipe D with the ingoing endof the drying cylinder A, as shown clearly in Fig. l. The air which isheated up by the steam-coil in the casing C' is thus drawn by thesuction-fan or blower V into the drying-cylinder A and dries during itspassage through the same all the parts of the ller thoroughly andeffectively, owing to the motion imparted to the same by the rotaryagitators of the steam-cylinder in the drying-cylinder. When the tobaccofiller arrives at the lower outgoing end of the drying-cylinder A, it isconducted by a vertical trunk E, which extends through the floor betweenthe drying and cooling cylinders to the floor next below and deliversthe filler into the upper end of an inclined cooling-cylinder F. Thecooling-cylinder F is provided with a central shaft S', connectedthereto by radial arms e, said shaft being supported in journal-bearingsat the ends of the same. Rotary motion is imparted to the shaft andcylinder by a suitable belt-and-pulley transmission. At the interior ofthe cooling-cylinder F are arranged radial inwardly-extending paddles n,by which the filler is taken up and agitated while the cooling-cylinderis rotated. A second fan or blower V is connected by a pipef with theingoing end of the cooling-cylinder, so that air of ordinary temperatureis forced through the filler while the same is agitated by the rotationof the cylinder, the air forced in by the fan or blower V serving tocool the filler during its passage through the cooling-cylinder.

The greater portion of the cooling-cylinder F is made of sheet metal,while the lower outgoing end is preferably made of wire-gauze or similarmaterial. The perforated portion E is located above the receiver R,which is provided with a partition fr, said partition being locatedvertically below the outgoing perforated portion of the cylinder, sothat the smaller particles which pass through the,

meshes of the perforated screen-shaped portion are dropped into thereceiver R at the right-hand side of the partition rr', while the largerportions of the filler are carried beyond the partition and dropped intothe lefthand side of the receiver R and are thereby eectively separatedfrom the smaller pulverulent portions, which are utilized for snuff. 6o

The moist tobacco filler, which is delivered at the ingoing end a of thedrying-cylinder A, is subjected to the heating action of the centralsteam-cylinder and the drying action of the heated air supplied by thefan or blower V to the interior of the cylinder B. It is then conductedslowly through the drying-cylinder A to the lower outgoing end of thesame and then conducted through the vertical trunk E to thecooling-cylinder1 F, located on the floor below. While the heated anddried filler passes through the inclined cooling-cylinder it issubjected to the action of cold air, so as to be gradually cooled to thetemperature of the surrounding atmosphere and delivered to the receiver,the finer particles being separated bythe screen-shaped end of thecooling-cylinder from the larger pieces of the filler and utilized forsnuwhile the larger pieces are used as fillers for cigars, all-tobaccocigarettes, and the like, in the manner well known to cigarmanufacturers.

By my improved apparatus the filler is dried quickly and eectivelywithout impairing the quality and davor of the same and is quicklyavailable for being worked up into cigars or cigarettes, so as todispense thereby with the slow and time-consuming filler-drying processheretofore in use.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- In a machine for drying tobacco filler, thecombination, of a rotatable drying-cylinder, agitatorsprovided on theinterior surface of said cylinder, a steam heating-cylinder in saiddrying cylinder rotatable therewith, means for supplying steam to saidheatingcylinder, an air-heating device, means connected with same tosupply heated air to said drying-cylinder, a rotatably-mountedcooling-cylinder,a conducting-trunk connect- `ing said drying andcooling cylinders, inwardly-extending paddles on the interior surface ofsaid cooling-cylinder arranged longitudinally of the same, and a screenprovided at the delivery end of said cooling-cylinder, beyond the endsof the paddles, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY REBER.

Witnesses:

C. P. GOEPEL, HENRY J. SUHRBIER.

IOO

